The Environment Agency and Isle of Wight Council were carrying out a second phase of investigations along the Ventnor seafront as part of developing the Ventnor Coastal Defence Scheme, the agency reported on 11 September 2026. Work was expected to begin in the week commencing 14 September 2026, with most active investigation expected to take three to six weeks and full completion planned for the end of November.

Planned work included boreholes along the seafront to collect ground samples and identify hidden voids, trial pits on the foreshore, and offshore marine habitat surveys using drop-down video equipment to help avoid or reduce impacts on protected habitats within the Maritime Special Area of Conservation. Earlier surveys that summer had revealed significant build-ups of sediment and debris in parts of the drainage network, in some locations preventing a full assessment of the system.

Current plans at the time included weekday daytime access restrictions on part of Bonchurch Cliffs Promenade between late September and November 2026, with the route remaining open where possible during evenings and weekends and signed pedestrian diversions. Seafront businesses and facilities were to stay open. Project team drop-in sessions at the compound near the Eastern Esplanade car park were planned from Tuesday 29 September, every Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 2pm.